1999 Plymouth Grand Voyager

VAN WAS BOUGHT PRIVATELY IN SUMMER OF 2008. DURING THE FIRST ROAD TRIP WITH THE VOYAGER, THE TRANSMISSION WENT AND WAS REPLACED WITH A REBUILD TRANSMISSION. IN SEPTEMBER OF THAT SAME YEAR, FUEL PUMP AND BATTERY HAD TO BE REPLACED. TWO MONTHS LATER, HEAD GASKET BLEW, WAS REPAIRED BUT DAMAGE TO ENGINE WAS UNKNOWN. IN WINTER OF 2008, REPEATED PROBLEMS WITH OIL & BRAKE FLUID LEAKING OUT FROM CALIPERS. BRAKES ALWAYS NEEDED SOME TYPE OF WORK: PADS, DRUMS, BEARINGS, CALIPERS. IN 2009, WATER PUMP HAD TO BE REPLACED, YET VAN STILL FELT HOTTER THEN WHAT IT READ. EXHAUST STARTED COMING THROUGH THE PASSENGER SIDE VENTS .IT WAS REPAIRED, BUT STARTED AGAIN. FOUND HOSES GETTING HOLES BURNT THROUGH, AND NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. IN 2010, REPLACED HEADLIGHTS, BUT NIGHT TIME ILLUMINATION WAS STILL POOR, EVEN WITH HIGH BEAMS ON. BATTERY NEEDED TO BE JUMP STARTED MORE & MORE, AND AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF BATTERY ACID HAD TO BE REMOVED FROM A TERMINAL. THE BATTERY ACTUALLY LOOKED LIKE IT HAD BEEN BURNT. MORE LEAKS FOUND CAUSED BY HOLES THROUGH HOSES. YET AGAIN, THE WATER PUMP HAD TO BE REPLACED IN JULY. THEN IN OCTOBER 2010, THINGS GOT VERY SCARY, THE SERPENTINE BELT FELL OFF FOR THE FIRST TIME WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 10KM, WHILE TURNING UP INTO THE DRIVEWAY. I COULDN'T COMPLETE THE TURN DUE TO THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND WAS ALMOST HIT HEAD ON BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THE BELT WAS PUT BACK ON. 2 DAYS LATER THE BELT FELL OFF AGAIN, & AGAIN. MECHANIC REPLACED BELT AND PARTS, DROVE AROUND LIKE CRAZY & THOUGHT PROBLEM WAS FIXED. 6 WEEKS AFTER, SERPENTINE BELT FALLS OFF AGAIN WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT, DURING A SNOW STORM, ON A CANADIAN ROCKY MTN HIGHWAY, WITH FULL ELECTRICAL SHUT DOWN OF VAN, LIMITED CELL PHONE SERVICE, AND OUR 4 SMALL CHILDREN. THIS INCIDENT WAS EXTREMELY UNSAFE, DANGEROUS, SCARY, AND EXPENSIVE! 3 WEEKS LATER, HEAD GASKET BLOWS AGAIN, AND THE VAN IS DONE.

SERPENTINE BELT HAS REPEATEDLY FALLEN OFF OF OUR 1999 PLYMOUTH GRAND VOYAGER. THIS CONDITION HAS OCCURRED DRIVING THROUGH VERY SMALL STANDING WATER AND/OR A SNOW DRIFT. THE BELT HAS COME OFF 5 TIMES IN THE LAST 6 MONTHS, CAUSING THE LOSS OF CONTROL AND LOSS OF POWER STEERING, ALTERNATOR DRIVE AND COOLING SYSTEM. THIS HAS LEFT MY WIFE AND 3 SMALL CHILDREN STRANDED SEVERAL TIMES. UPON RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM, THIS IS A KNOWN DESIGN FLAW WITH THE VAN. IN FACT, THERE ARE SEVERAL WEB SIGHTS THAT I FOUND WHERE DOZENS OF OWNERS HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM. BOTH GATES AND GOODYEAR HAVE EVEN DESIGNED KITS TO PREVENT THE PROBLEM FROM RECURRING, THAT IS HOW COMMON THIS PROBLEM IS. THIS IS NOT ONLY A MAJOR DESIGN FLAW, BUT IT IS POTENTIALLY A HUGE SAFETY HAZARD, AS ALL POWER ACCESSORIES DRIVEN BY THE SERPENTINE BELT INCLUDING THE POWER STEERING - POTENTIALLY RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL, COOLING - POTENTIALLY CAUSING A FIRE, AND THE ALTERNATOR - RESULTING IN THE EVENTUAL DRAIN OF THE ELECTRIC POWER. CHRYSLER HAS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ON THE ISSUE, AND EVEN HAS A FIX, BUT IN REVIEWING THE WEB SIGHTS THE CHRYSLER FIX DOES NOT WORK. ONLY THE GATES AND GOODYEAR FIXES WORK. CHRYSLER SHOULD BE FORCED TO RECALL THESE VEHICLES AND PUT THE GATES AND GOODYEAR KITS ON THESE PRODUCTS IN THE NAME OF SAFETY, BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED AS A RESULT OF LOSING THERE STEERING. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 PLYMOUTH GRAND VOYAGER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SERPENTINE BELT CONTINUES TO DETACH AND HAS BEEN REPLACED SEVEN TIMES. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE IS A NEW KIT FOR THIS COMPONENT, HOWEVER, THE CONTACT DOES NOT KNOW IF HER VEHICLE IS UNDER RECALL. THE FAILURE CAUSES COOLANT NOT TO CIRCULATE, CAUSING THE ENGINE TO OVERHEAT, AND STEERING DIFFICULTY. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 205,374. THE CONSUMER PROVIDED INFORMATION FROM NAPA REGARDING THE SERPENTINE BELTS AND A REPAIR INVOICE. UPDATED 09/05/07 *TR

I HAVE A 1999 PLYMOUTH GRAND VOYAGER. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE PULLEY 2 TIMES IN THE LAST 2 YEARS AND IT IS GIVING OUT AGAIN. I KNOW 2 OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM THEREFORE THEY HAVE GOTTEN RID OF THEIR VEHICLES. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE PULLEY. I HAVE BROKEN DOWN 3 TIMES DUE TO THE PULLEY TEARING THE SERPENTINE BELT. AN ACCIDENT ALMOST OCCURRED THE LAST TIME BECAUSE WHEN THE BELT BREAKS THE STEERING GOES OUT. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PANEL GAUGES FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. ADDITIONALLY, THE HEADLIGHTS INTERMITTENTLY ILLUMINATED IF THE HIGH BEAM WAS ENGAGED. ALSO, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND OPERATED AT A REDUCED SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS EXPOSED TO HURRICANE WEATHER PRIOR TO THE ONSET OF THESE PROBLEMS. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, WHO PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WHICH PRODUCED NO FAILURE CODES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED.

I HAVE A 1999 PLYMOUTH GRAND VOYAGER THAT I PURCHASED NEW. I HAVE HAD A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH THE SERPENTINE BELT SLIDING OFF OR BREAKING. I HAVE 67,000 MILES ON THIS VEHICLE, AND THE BELT/TENSIONER HAS BEEN REPLACED AT LEAST 8 TIMES. I WANT TO KNOW WHY THIS HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL BY DAIMLER CHRYSLER? I HAVE HEARD FROM OTHER OWNERS THAT THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR THEM AS WELL. ALL I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER AND MECHANICS IS THAT THIS IS A DESIGN FAILURE. DAIMLER CHRYSLER SHOULD BE FORCED TO CORRECT THIS DEIGN PROBLEM FOR ITS SERPENTINE BELT! THANK YOU. *JB *NM